Thursday, January 26, 2006

Rain Clouds over the Malahat

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Light rain is falling. The forecast is for showers the next four days. In recent weeks the forecasts for San Francisco Peninsula have been mostly accurate. I went out for a run last evening and saw clouds gathering over the foothills. For some odd reason, I thought of Victoria, BC. I was visiting British Columbia one summer many years ago. Strolling through downtown Victoria I found an empty bench across from a large department store and decided to spend some time people watching. Soon I had company. A man sat down next to me and said "Good afternoon". Looked like a street person but didn't hit me for a quarter. He didn't have a shopping cart full of personal belongings. You don't see them in Canada.....not yet. That might change as Stephen Harper begins Bushification of Canada. There was a coffee shop a few steps away. I bought two cups and offered my neighbor one. He smiled and lifted the paper cup. A few minutes later he stood up and said "See the clouds over the Malahat ? It is going to rain." He disappeared among the crowd of shoppers. That evening the rains came.